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San Francisco Homelessness in the Media 2009
Homelessness in San Francisco came under increased media attention in mid-2007, especially through an ongoing series in The Chronicle. This page will provide links and summaries of those stories, as well as other sources, in order to give SFHomeless.net users an overview and ready access. This page is meant as a resource. Please do not use summaries as a place to voice opinions or make judgments. Please feel free to add links to stories that deal specifically with SF Homelessness published since Summer 2007. Thank you. 5/13/09 - The Chronicle - Aileen Yoo "The Scavenger: Homeless shelter to be unveiled at Bay to Breakers" Summary: A modified tent for homeless use called EDAR Everyone Deserves A Home is being unveiled in San Francisco. A non-profit shelter in LA is ordering hundreds. 5/13/09 - The Chronicle - Kevin Fagan "Skid Row gone, but memories linger just around the corner" Summary: The SOMA area of 3rd and Howard used to be Skid Row 50 years ago, and Chron writer Art Hoppe would write about it. 5/12/09 - Beyond Chron.org - Randy Shaw "SPECIAL REPORT: San Francisco’s Request for Proposal/ Request for Qualifications Deception " Summary: Beyond Chron editor asserts that mayor Gavin Newsom allows bids for contracted services for housing the homeless through his Care Not Cash program to be rigged by letting incompetent outsiders to make judgments on them. 5/8/09 - KGO abc7news.com - Vic Lee "Homeless families demand affordable housing" Summary: With recession doubling the number of homeless families in San Francisco, homeless mothers storm the mayor's office seeking to meet with Gavin Newsom. Result: one of the mayor's top aides told the protesters, he'd get back to them. 5/8/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "City Insider: Homeless families demand support" Summary: Some homeless families protested at City Hall demanding more shelter and affordable housing for the 150-190 families currently on the wait list for family shelter. 5/3/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "A Care Not Cash success story" Summary: A one-time pimp and addict and CNC participant has turned his life around even with great odds stacked against him. 5/3/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F. making strides to solve homeless problem" Summary: Care Not Cash program is credited with helping house the homeless, but still leaves people without enough money to live on. 4/29/09 - San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center - Bill Carpenter "City Hall..... Why are you CLOSING Homeless Services!!!" Summary: Homeless People brought their needs straight to San Francisco City Hall in order to receive some of the life sustaining services they would have to live without if proposed budget reductions are enacted by San Francisco public officials. Six-minute QT movie. 4/27/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F. homeless population grew 2% in 2 years" Summary: The 2009 count showed 6,514 homeless in San Francisco, up 2% from 2007's count. 4/26/09 - The Chronicle - Evelyn Nieves "The Dalai Lama serves hope to SF homeless" Summary: The Dali Lama visited Martin de Porres House of Hospitality and spoke of homelessness among other topics. 4/9/09 - Christian Science Monitor - Christopher D. Cook "Amid recession, is San Francisco losing its heart?" Summary: San Francisco slices aid for the needy. Advocates cry foul, but others see a need to curb spending. 4/9/09 - The Examiner - Brent Begin "Library helping homeless patrons" Summary: The Main Library at the Civic Center is using different methods to address the homeless population using their facility. 4/9/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "S.F. Justice Center - not all are on board" Summary: The Community Justice Center is still receiving criticism while hearing cases and trying to convince the public of its good. 3/26/09 - The Chronicle - Marisa Lagos "Advocates want stimulus cash used to avoid cuts" Summary: The Mayor's office is not committing to saving programs that have been cut due to the budget shortfalls, and advocates want the stimulus money used to save cut programs. 3/25/09 - SF Bay Guardian - Editorial "Saving SF's human services: Obama specifically stated that the FMAP cash should prevent a loss of services, somehow, Mayor Gavin Newsom doesn't see it that way" Summary: The Mayor's office is sending confusing signals as to how it will spend the Federal stimulus money, and many fear it won't be used to stop a loss of services. 3/24/09 - SF Weekly - Ashley Harrell "Gathering Storm: They pile up their stuff to the point of fire danger and rat infestation. A task force is taking on this nearly insurmountable problem." Summary: Hoarders and Clutters present problems for the SROs they live in, often resulting in evictions and health problems. 3/5/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F.'s new community court opens" Summary: The Community Justice Center opened this week, but so far defendants aren't showing up. 2/28/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "Homeless 'education' group not learning lesson" Summary: A group called Homeless Services Coalition asks for donations to help the homeless, and may only be giving a small percentage to actual charities, with some charities asking not to be associated with them. (Note: this group was also profiled in a Guardian article in 2007. 2/25/09 - SF Weekly - Herman Wong "Gimme Shelter: Musician once played for the homeless as charity. Now he is homeless." Summary: A musician who played piano at the shelter as charity lost his pharmaceutical company job and ended up staying at the same shelter as a client. 2/24/09 - SF Bay Guardian - Rebecca Bowe "No service area: Health and human services budget cuts will show on the streets" Summary: Major budget cuts are affecting Tenderloin Health, Mission Neighborhood Resource Center, SF General Hospital, and other critical homeless services. 2/21/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "Homeless man turns successful entrepreneur" Summary: A homeless man was able to use small business programs and an agreeable corporate attorney to start a business that has now become profitable. 2/19/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F. to get $19.8 million aid to homeless" Summary: Federal stimulus package has funding for homeless programs, including rent subsidies for homeless families of which there has been a noticeable increase. 2/12/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "Eye care - needed by homeless and vets" Summary: Homeless participants at the latest Project Homeless Connect overwhelm providers with the need for eyeglasses, especially veterans. 2/4/09 - SF Weekly - Peter Jamison "Their Daily Bread" Summary: A soup kitchen run by nuns recently opened in the Tenderloin, and residents are upset that social do-good groups, especially religious ones, target the Tenderloin for their service for the poor, and attract undesirable elements into the neighborhood. 2/4/09 - SF Bay Guardian - Rebecca Bowe "Without a net - Newsom's budget: More hungry homeless people, more deaths at SF General" Summary: The Board of Supervisors and others are trying to come up with alternatives to the mayor's proposed cuts that will decimate emergency services. 2/1/09 - SF Examiner - Tiffany Maleshefski "Credo: Philip Mangano, advocate for homeless" Summary: Philip Mangano, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, gets interviewed by the Examiner. 1/31/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "Services too focused on the Tenderloin" Summary: CWN wonders if a high concentration of service providers in the Tenderloin is because there are a lot of homeless, or because the homeless go to the Tenderloin because of the number of service providers. 1/14/09 - SF Bay Guardian "The Hard Times Handbook: Free food, music, and movies. Cheap drinks, dates, and dining. Plus much, much more in our guide to surviving these tough times in style" Summary: Not really about homelessness, but they do mention SFHomeless.net on Page 4 of the online article. Thanks SFBG! 1/6/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "City Insider: Homeless sweeps at Civic Center Plaza?" Summary: There are complaints of more aggressive government action against the homeless in Civic Center Plaza; also the Streets and Neighborhood committee presents its final recommendations to the mayor this week. 1/6/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "City finds funds for money-saving program" Summary: Firefighter Niels Tangherlini runs the cost-effective HOME Team (Homeless Outreach and Medical Emergency) that helps inebriated homeless and cuts down expensive trips to the ER, but the mayor's office almost cut the funding despite saving lots of money for little money spent. Category:Media